Boiler-feeder.



PATENTED MAR. 28. 1905.

C. E. FINGH. BOILBR FEEDERl MPL10/MON FILED 00T. 1o, 1904.

oooooo boovoooooo 0000000000 O O OO 0 OSOOOOCO ATTURNEYS Patented March 28, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CLARK ETHAN FINCH, OE FORNEY, TEXAS.

BOILER-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,107, dated March 28, 1905.

i Application led October 10, 1904:. Serial No. 227,860.

To 1r/ZZ wtont it muy concern:

Be it known that I, CLARK ETHAN FINCH, a

vcitizen ofthe United States, residing at Forney, in the county of Kaufman and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Boiler-Feeders, of which the following is a specification.

h/Iy invention is in the nature of a novel feeder for supplying steam-boilers with water in an automatic manner by gravity, so as to maintain the water in the boiler at a practically uniform level; and it consists in the the exhaust-steam from the engine, which passes through the coil into the chamber P2 and thence into the air or other point of discharge.l Tater is admitted to theinterior of the 'casing H and surrounds the pipes and absorbs the heat of the exhaust-steam. The water-supply pipe for the feed-water heater is provided with a check-valve A, opening inwardly to the casing H and closing outwardly, so that water will pass into the casing when a partial vacuum exists therein; but when a steam-pressure is within the casing the check-valve will close and maintain such pressure. The feed-Water heater is maintained upon suitable supports above the boiler', and between the feed-water heater and the dome of the boiler is arranged a relatively small vertical cylinder X, forming a valvechamber. This cylinder is connected at the upper end to the feed-water heater by a pipe E and near the bottom is also connected to the feed-water heater by a pipe E2. Said cylinder is also connected at the top to the steamdome by a pipe M, and the lower end ot' the cylinder enters the boiler-shell and opens into the steam-space within.

In the cylinder X near the top and bottom are arranged val ve-stem guides D D2, in which plays freely a valve-stem R. On this valvestem there are carried two rigidly-attached valves B and B2. The valve B is located between the steam-pipe M and the steam-pipe E and gives passage to steam from the dome to the top of the feed water heater. The valve B2 is located between the water-pipe E2, leading from the feed-water heater and the open lower end of the cylinder, which is in communication with the steam-space of the boiler. Both the valves B and B2 close upwardly against seats formed in the cylinder. 'At its lower end the valve stem extends through the open lower end of the cylinder X into the boiler and is therein loosely attached by a suitable head L to a large iioat F, which rests upon the water in the boiler and has a limited sliding' movement on the valvestem. As this iioat rises and falls with the water-level itcloses or opens the valves in the manner hereinafter described.

In the upper end of the cylinder Xthere is a spiral spring s, coiled around the valvestem and pressing at its lower end against the guide D for the valve-stem and at the top pressing against a head on the valve-stem and tending to lift the same.

In the lower end of the cylinder X there are pivoted one or more elbow-catches C. Between these catches the valve-stem slides, and at this point it has a shoulder e, tapered on its lower side and flat or square on top. Then the valve-stem is down and the valves open, this shoulder passes beneath the hooks of the catches, and the latter lock and hold the valvestem down and the valves open. When, however, the float F rises sufficiently from the infiow of water into the boiler, the hub Z of the float strikes the lower arms of the elbowcatches and throws the hooks above away f rom the shoulder e, allowing the springs to lift the valve-stem and close the valves.

The operation ot' my invention is as iollows: As the water-level falls on the boiler the ioat sinks with it and pulls valve B and B2 open, and the catches at C hold them open.

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then iows by gravity through pipe and valve B2 into the boiler, and the heater lills with steam through pipes M and E and valve B. As the water-level rises the float rises with the water, sliding' up along valve-stem, and the hub Z ot' the Heat strikes catches C, releasing the valves, which iy upward from the tension of spring C and reseat themselves. The heater is now partly filled with steam, which replaced the water; but this steam quickly condenses, and cold water enters through check-if'alve A. As the iloat falls again the same operation is repeated, keeping the water -level practically constant. The lower valve B2 should be slightly larger than the upper one, so that by the pressure of the steam the valves will tend to stick until weight enough of the iioat is on them to pull them wide open, so that the hooks or catches C will positively engage the shoulder e. l

I am aware that automatic boiler-feeds operating through the agency of a `float within the boiler and coacting valves have already been devised, andl do not claim this broadly.

Thile my invention is shown in connection with a feed-water heater, I would have it understood that the heating Vfeatures may be omitted, as my feeder works equally well with any chamber H having' an inlet check-valve A.'

Ha\f'ing thus described my invention, what l. claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isw

l. An automatic boiler-feed, comprising an upright valve-chamber having its lower end opening into the boiler, a feed-waterchamber having an `inlet check-valve for water, said feed-water chamber having a pipe connecting' its upper part with the valve-chamber and another pipe connecting its lower part with the valve chamber, a pipe connecting the steam-space or' the boiler with the upper pai't or' the valve-chamber, a valve-stem arranged in thc valve-chamber and carrying two downwardly-opening valves, the upper one being' located betwecn the steam-pipe leadingfrom the boiler and the steam-pipe leading' to the feedwater chamber, and the lower valve being located between the boiler and the water-pipe leading from the feed-chamber and a float arranged in the boiler and connected to the valvestern to operate the same by the rise and fall or' the water-level as described.

2. An automatic boiler-feed, comprising an upright valve-chamber having its lower end opening into the boiler, a feed-water chamber havingan inlet check-valve for water,said `feedwater chamber having a pipe connecting its upper part with the valve-chamber and another pipe connectingits lower part with the valvechamber, a pipe connecting the steam-space of the boiler with the upper part of the valvechamber, a valve-stem arranged within the valve-chamber and carrying two downwardlyopening valves, the upper one being located between the steam-pipe leading from the boiler and the steam-pipe leading to the feed-water chamber, and the lower valve being located between the boiler and the water-pipe leading from the feed-chamber, a float arranged in the boiler and connected to the valve-stem, catches for holding the valve-stem down and the Valves open and a spring for lifting andv closing the valves substantially as described.

3. An automatic boiler-feed, comprising an upright valve-chamber having its lower end opening into the boiler, a feed-water chamber having an inlet check-valve for water, said feed-water chamber having a pipe connecting its upper part with the valve-chamber and another pipe connecting its lower part with the valve-chamber, .a pipe connecting the steamspace of the boiler with the upper part of the valve-chamber, avalve-stem arranged within the valve-chamber and carrying' two down- \\f'ardlyopening valves, the upper one being located between the steam-pipe leading from the boiler and the steam-pipe leading to the feed-water chamber and the lower valve being located between the boiler and the waterpipe leading from the feed-chamber, a vFloat arranged in the boiler and connected to the valve-stem and sliding thereon, catches for holding the valve-stem and valves down, a spring for raising' and opening the valves, said float being provided with a projection adapted to strike and release the catches substantially as.described.

4. ln an automatic boiler-feed of the kind described, an upright valve-chamber having its lower end opening into the boiler, a valvestem arranged within the valve-chamber, a locking device arranged in the valve-chamber to engage the valve-stem and hold open the valves, and a float arranged in the boiler and sliding' on the valve-stem and having a central projection adapted to enter the valve-chamber and to strike against and release the locking devices substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination with a steam-boiler, and a feed-watcr-supply chamber; of an upright valve-chamber having its lower end opening into the boiler and also into the lower portion of the feed-water chamber and its upper end opening' into the steam-space of the boiler and also into the upper portion et' the feed-water chamber, a valve-stein completely housed within the valve-chamber and bearing at its upper end a valve controlling the flow of steam to the top of the water-supply chamber, and at its lower end another valve controlling the iiow of water from the water-supply chamber to the boiler and a Hoat arranged in the boiler and opei'ating the valve-stem and valves substantially as described.

CLARK ETHAN FINGH.

fitnesses:

T. H. ARNOLD, E. M.. DoZInR.

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